Williamsburg, Virginia: My Experience

Once we set our feet on the Duke of Gloucester Street, I felt like we entered a time warp back to the 1700's of Colonial America. This is considered a living museum, where history is reenacted. The streets were filled with visitors as well as interpreters.  

When people first came to this country it was known as Virginia.  A place filled with landscapes and oceanic views. Eventually, the borders expanded north, south, and west.  

The first building we passed was the Capitol building, with fine round windows, and gardens in the back.

And a picturesque view from a doorway. But this was just the beginning of an adventure back in time.  

James Innes came to our side of the street to rant about freedom, taxes, and tyranny. (This man is on the cover of Colonial Williamsburg, The official Guide and yes I have a copy, even if it is for the picture of him that I wanted the book)

As various points were debated, Patrick Henry contributed with, "Hear, Hear or Aye". (famous for the quote: "Give me liberty of give me death.")

And a young Thomas Jefferson was present trying to persuade the audience to agree with his side of the argument. (Monticello, the home of Jefferson is not far from Williamsburg)

Lord North's effigy was boo'd and hissed at while we watched this demonstration. I loved every minute of it. 

There were garden paths that led to inner places of extreme beauty.

And the innermost gardens are filled with flowers, bushes, and statues. 

One day was not enough  to spend in such an historic place and to be able to comprehend the chain of events which brought our country to its present state. 

The price to get into the buildings is a bit steep, but in my mind it is well worth it.  You can come and walk around and view the demonstrations for free and also eat at any of the taverns, plus, a small park it located close to the end of the Duke of Gloucester Street for picnics.  The William and Mary College is at the end of Merchants Square. A student will give you a free tour of the building. Filming of the series Turn: Washington Spies was done in the Wren building.

But more than this, my Campbell relatives had their beginnings in Virginia. That is why I came.  

Virginia: My Experience

In a land far away from where I live is a place called Virginia. The place of beginnings, not only for my family, but, many, many more began there too.  

They came for various reasons to a wilderness and created a new life. To a place that still reminded them of home.  We drove along the Blue Ridge Highway and admired the mountainous view. 

The season is far more advanced than Indiana. The leaves are more than half-way out and the new green shoots have engulfed the landscape. Before long the barren branches will no longer be visible. 

And the waterfall roared.  This is how I imagined Virginia. A place of beauty. A place for new beginnings.  To be continued...

Charlotte Temple: America's first best seller

I am an avid reader and love finding good books at second-hand stores and other various venues.  I happened to come across a small book called Charlotte Temple a little while back. It has probably been a year since I first brought it home. The author, Susanna Rowson, referred to this small novel as, A tale of truth and added that little line to the title when it first published in 1791. The novel was available in America by 1792. Over the years, the novel came to be known simply as Charlotte Temple.  The only extant copy is in the Barrett Collection at the Alderman Library of the University of Virginia. 

Charlotte Temple the first American best seller that went through more than 200 editions and was the most popular novel until Harriet Beecher Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, which I plan to read next. I am ashamed to say how long I've had that book on my shelf and not read it. 

This is a tale of a young girl about 15 years of age who was seduced by a man, they eloped to America with the promise of marriage upon arrival, then Montraville abandoned Charlotte, while heavy with child, to marry another woman. In that time period, women were considered ruined if they deviated from the societal norm of not having sex outside of marriage and Charlotte knew it. The desire to be forgiven by her parents was nearly more than poor Charlotte could bear.  The author meant for this tale to be an inspiration to young women that virtue is a possession that females must hold in high esteem and to protect until marriage. Even though our society has become lax with this view, I believe that some still cling to it.  Oh I know it is a melodramatic novel, written simply and at times the author writes directly to the reader, but take it for what it is worth, a novel meant to help young girls.  

Fans of the novel had a stone placed for Charlotte Temple in the Trinity Churchyard in Manhattan, New York.  Click on the link and it will take you to her burial place, well, hypothetically. 

The book ends with poor Charlotte dying as soon as her father arrives, but her deceivers get a bit of karma, which I liked the best. Why can't real life be like that? Or maybe it is. 

Anxious to shoot

I have ideas for my class assignments that are due in August. But finding models can be challenging. My nephews are willing sometimes but only if I ask every once in a while, otherwise they get irritated.

The one below is based on a picture that I saw by Diane Arbus that she took back in the 70's I think. The thing is I have seen this same pose two other times and just recently on a DVD cover for the series called TUT. I like the merging of the faces. which looks like an optical illusion. My nephews were gracious enough to let me experiment on them.  Hmm, sounds like I am a weird scientist but only with a lens. 

As long as they were willing, we decided to go outside and pose in front of a building close to where I live. My nephews put on their new suits and out we went. 

Sometimes they are very hard to get to stay still.  I probably took 20 shots before I got the one below.  

Now I need to go and photograph their sisters. Wish me luck!

For the love of your country, Sing!

It was dark except for the light that illuminated the flag. Our flag. My flag. The flag that stands for freedom.  With hands firmly placed over their hearts, the cowboys sang. But not just any song. They sang the Star Spangled Banner. You know the words...And the rocket's red glare, the bombs bursting in air, Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there. I sang, and sang loudly as tears welled up in my eyes. The music played over the loudspeakers, while three soft southern voices sang along. I stopped and tried to listen to the audience. It was silent except for the loudspeakers. It was the lack of singing that set me on edge. Did anyone in the audience except me know the words? 

I have noticed this before in other places where our national songs are performed but no one sang along. Why? The evening started off with a prayer. That's good. Where has our national pride gone to?  I love my country! I will say it again. I love my country!  So, whenever one of "our songs" are being sung, you can count on me to sing. It will be the sound of one voice singing with pride for a place that she loves. 

My Ethnicity

Have you ever wondered where in this world that you have come from?  I have asked myself repeatedly why I am attracted to the things that I am.  Great Britain has always fascinated me. From the time I was a young teenager, I have loved a place that I have never visited.  The plush countryside with winding narrow roads, picturesque seaside jaunts, with castles galore intrigued me. I spent hours reading Dickens & Jane Austen, watching Masterpiece Theater, and trying to imitate an accent that just didn't sound right coming from my lips. 

Each day since I mailed my DNA sample to Ancestry, I have waited in bated anticipation for the results.   From my youth there were rumors on both sides of the family that we have Native American blood running through our veins. There is nothing in my appearance nor of my forebears to indicate that no Indian has ever got themselves mixed up with us. My pale skin and green eyes are ever before me as an indicator. Jesse James has come up a few times, but who wants to be related to a murdering outlaw?  I wouldn't be proud of it and I'd never speak of it if the rumor was true.  

Thursday was the magical day.  I came home very late and checked my email. The results were in and were waiting for me to open like a gift in my inbox. With anxious fingers I clicked the link to open the email. To be honest, I was surprised by the mix. I am 40% West Europe, 37% Great Britain, 13% Iberian Peninsula and the rest is a mixture of Ireland, Greece, Italy, Finland, and NW Russia.  

So, I should have asked Santa for a Viking or a man in a kilt instead of a cowboy. Meanwhile, the search goes on for finding my link to across the pond. I am so close. 

It's a mans world

Women had no rights, and that was how God intended it to be. Females with brains were unnatural creatures. it was the duty of men to protect, govern and guide the weaker sex and the duty of women to obey without question. It was unthinkable that they should vote or hold national office. The nation would be in ruin. Keir Hardie, who had just been elected to the House of Commons, tried to talk about the rights of women, but was laughed at by the members of Parliament. (Noble)

At that time in Britain women could not vote, hold office or enter any profession except teaching or nursing. If a woman inherited property, her husband controlled it when she married: if she left her husband, he kept her fortune; it was his legal right to make all decisions regarding her or their children. (Noble)

After watching the recent movie release, Suffragette, I realized how fortunate women are today, at least in this country. We still have issues with equal pay for the same work, men are placed in higher positions of authority more often than women, and sexual harassment is still an on going problem. But without a doubt we can vote, work, and own property without any recourse from men.

As a divorced woman, I have liberty because of those women who were willing to fight for the vote. Otherwise, I would still be living with any family member who would be willing to take me in. The core is that women wanted to be considered equal to men, and rightly so. Alice Paul said in 1920 when women were granted the vote, "It is incredible to me that any woman should consider the fight for full equality fully won. It has just begun."  She went on a hunger strike and was force fed raw eggs (down her nose) until she vomited blood. She was then put into a sanatorium with the hopes of being declared insane. A psychiatrist examined her and afterwards was asked if she was insane. His reply, "Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity." And the war wages on today. 

The Suffragette movement was in the works long before 1920 when the 19th amendment was ratified. In July 1858, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first women's rights convention in Seneca, NY and launched the woman suffrage movement. Susan B. Anthony registered and voted in the 1872 election in Rochester, NY. She was arrested for "knowingly, wrongfully and unlawfully voting for a representative to the Congress of the United States," and was convicted by the state of New York, being fined $100, which she insisted that she would never pay a penny of it. 

The mindset of men and women today are very different than our predecessors with still room for a lot of improvement. We have a long way to go when it comes to attitudes towards people of color, religion, and anyone different from the norm. 

"If its right for men to fight for their freedom, then its right for women to fight for theirs." (Suffragette) 


Resources:

Emmeline and her Daughters: The Pankhurst Suffragettes by Iris Noble

Teaching with Documents: Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment, 
www.archives.gov/education/lessons/woman-suffrage/petition-to-congress.html

Petition from Susan B. Anthony to Congress, www.archives.gov/education/lessons/woman-suffrage/anthony-petition.html

Humble and Kind

Kindness...it is really a virtue. Humility too. Both are recognized in many cultures and religions as a value. Kindness is not a weakness by no means. And yet, those folks who are kind are exploited for that very thing. I have seen animals show kindness in rescuing one of their own from harm. It is not just a human thing either. The video below is wonderful and it made me think about how important it is to be kind.

Kindness is everything in life.

About time to take the DNA test

Besides taking pictures, I enjoy genealogy and have traced my mother's side of the family back to the Revolutionary War. I have literally spent years tracing my roots. The bug bit me back when I was in my 20's and my great aunt Joye Bolden wrote me a letter with details of the Bolden family. Trying to figure out where to begin was daunting. It was before Ancestry.com or the internet and I had to look through many books searching for any information that I could find related to family at the local library.  I am lucky enough to be living in the city that has the second largest genealogy department in the nation. (right behind the Salt Lake City collection) When I was in my 30's, I hired someone to help me get started.  I figured that if the person who helped me could do the research, then so can I.  That is when my journey started and I have been traveling the research road since then. 

Having one's DNA analyzed can be costly until recently.  I found a deal on Ancestry.com for $79.99. My kit arrived on Friday evening. I collected the DNA sample they needed and put it straight back into the mail box.  Now, the waiting game has started. It will take 6-8 weeks before I find out the results.  What kind of mix am I?  There are rumors of Cherokee Indian coming from both sides of the family.  My mother was a Campbell, so, I know Scotland is looming in the past.  But what about Smith? There are mysteries with my father's lineage.  Not sure who the father is of my Great Grandfather because he was born before the second marriage to Mr. Smith.  So, I anxiously wait. 

The picture came from Ancestry.com

Footprints in the Sand

I don't want to be like footprints in the sand.
I want to leave my mark, like the stars shine in the dark. 
I don't want to be, something that will fade away.  
A distant memory, washed out by the sea.
Like footprints in the sand. 

Rueban Studdard